Bexhill woman’s recognition at Olivier Awards

Richard Gladstone

A theatre lover has been recognised for her commitment at the prestigious Olivier Awards.

Janet Hudson-Holt, from Bexhill, who now lives in London, working at St Martin’s Theatre in the West End, was one of six people invited to the ceremony on Sunday (April 9) to be presented with a plaque.

She and the other five were crowned inaugural Be Inspired Champions by the Society of London Theatres (SOLT) in recognition of their motivation and inspiring others with their love and commitment to theatre.

Janet is the costume supervisor for the world’s longest running stage show, The Mousetrap.

For 15 years she has been an integral part of the show, making the wheels of The Mousetrap turn.

Her impact on the show is clearly visible, after Janet painstakingly recreated the costumes from the original incarnation of the show.

Janet said: “This award was a complete shock and surprise to me.

“It’s the first time the Olivier Awards have done it and the idea behind it is to extend acknowledgement in the profession to those groups of people in the theatre industry outside actiing and producing.

“There is now more emphasis that theatre is about lots of disciplines, not just about acting and fame. There are many technical jobs that people can pursue.

“The industry welcomes people with lots of different abilities and capabilities. That is the whole point of this award.

“I think it is important young people have the opportunity to enjoy drama, even if you chose not to pursue it as a career it will give you many life skills.”

Janet has worked in theatre for 30 years and started doing drama in Bexhill with the Thalia School and Christine Porch, who ran Bexhill Costume Museum, where Janet used to assist.

Janet was also involved with drama at Hastings Musical Festival.

Janet later trained in stage management at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in Swiss Cottage, London.

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